Distraction
by The Jasper Raven
Summary: SEQUEL TO "Obvious" Neji is unsurprisable. The only way to catch him off guard is if he's distracted.


"_Come on _Neji! Quit being such a wimp!"

"I'm not being a wimp just because I don't want to hit my girlfriend."

"This girlfriend of yours happens to be just as qualified a ninja as you so bring it on!"

Tenten hopped into her bouncy fighting stance, hopping from one foot to the other, quickly, in place. Neji sighed and, reluctantly, got into his statue still fighting stance. He didn't know what prompted her to want to train so badly that day. Tenten was very enthusiastic about her role as a Konoha shinobi but usually gave him fair warning if she wanted to spar with him. He didn't like fighting Tenten, even if it wasn't for real. They'd been dating for about a year and he was very protective of her. He respected her as his equal in the shinobi part of his life. But, he loved her and worried about her safety in his personal life. It was that and his irritatingly proper manners that made him detest sparring with her.

Tenten made the first move. She swiftly withdrew two kunai from the kunai holster around her leg and threw them towards Neji. He moved to the side and caught them by the handles before they landed. He didn't throw them back at her as he was still reluctant to be doing this. While he was distracted with the kunai, she had started towards him. Placing the kunai in his own holster, Neji blocked her first punch. He dodged her kick to his ankles and gently pushed her away. She came again, this time jumping in the air to try an aerial kick to the head. He caught her ankle and twisted it slightly so she spun to the ground. She landed on her back with a loud "Uff!" and he was afraid he had hurt her. He let down his defense and bent over her, worriedly. Just as he was about to ask if she was okay, she smirked and pulled her feet under him, kicking him over her head so he landed on his back. Neji lay there, stunned that she'd used his own feelings to trick him. She leaned over him with a pout on her face.

"Neji, you've got to stop going to easy on me," she scolded. "You keep letting your guard down and you always let me win."

"Maybe you've just gotten better than me," he said with a playful smirk.

"You and I both know that's one hundred percent unlikely. What if this battle was for real? You'd be dead a long time ago."

"Luckily, I don't plan on fighting you for real any time soon."

"It doesn't have to be me. What if an assassin disguised themselves as me? What would you do then?"

"I think I'd be able to tell it wasn't you."

"You can't rely on your all seeing eye for everything Neji."

Tenten rolled back on her heels, giving Neji room to sit up.

"I wouldn't need to use my Byakugan to know if it was you or not," he said. "No one can copy you. You're one of a kind."

They smiled at one another.

"You always know what to say to get out of trouble," Tenten sighed.

Neji got to his feet first and helped her up.

"Now what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" he asked.

"Absolutely nothing but this."

"You just planned on sparring all day?"

"You bet! Now come at me like you mean it!"

Neji groaned. For the next few hours, Tenten tormented Neji with vigorous training. He didn't know what brought this on in her. He'd never seen her so intent on training before. He tried to figure out what would cause this change but every time he thought about it, Tenten would land a blow and scold him on being to distracted. When she finally decided to take a break, he felt more exhausted than he usually did when Guy was leading the sessions. He gasped for breath and was sweating gallons.

"Good job!" Tenten congratulated, obviously much less exhausted than him. "You're still a little distracted but you're getting better."

Neji glared at her but didn't have the strength to put a lot of feeling behind it.

"We finished just in time. Lee and Guy-sensei will be here any second now."

"Lee and Guy?" he panted. "Why the heck are they coming here?"

"You really have been distracted!" Tenten laughed. "Don't you know what day it is?"

"…Friday?"

Tenten just laughed. Neji really didn't know what was so funny until he heard the rumbling of the ground and saw the dust plume that signified the approach of his green comrades. They broke through the trees as two green blurs and skidded to a halt in front of him and Tenten with their trademark smiles plastered on their faces. There was a giant, five layered cake held between them.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEJI!"

Neji was sure he went partially deaf under their bellows. Tenten was smart enough to cover her ears. When the echoes of their yells faded away, Neji blinked and glanced at Tenten.

"You set this whole thing up?"

"I had to distract you somehow. If you looked at a calendar, you were sure to remember today was your birthday! I distracted you while Lee and Guy-sensei made the cake."

"It took you five hours to bake a cake?" he asked Lee and Guy.

"We wanted to give you two lovebirds some alone time!" Guy laughed.

Neji glanced at Tenten. What he really meant was that they spent the whole day trying to figure out how to turn an oven on or how to crack an egg.

"Thanks for making the cake guys!" Tenten said. "It looks…great!"

That was a lie. The cake looked like it was made by a five year old. But then, it wouldn't be a Team Guy celebration without a weird looking cake. Sighing, Neji thanked them as well and they all sat around the cake. Guy and Lee devoured the unbelievably sweet cake. Tenten and Neji glanced at one another as icing went flying. Unable to stifle a smile, Tenten shrugged sheepishly. He simply smiled. Birthdays were always unique when Tenten was around.

**Author's Review: **I didn't hate this Oneshot as much as I usually hate my Oneshots. It was kind of boring but I was trying to get Neji and Tenten In Character which I thought I did mildly well. Tell me how you think I did. Please be civil in your criticisms. There's no need to be barbaric. I can accept whatever responsible critique you have. In fact, I'd prefer it. Thank you!


End file.
